He said: “He needs more minutes and he needs to regain his principles in terms of playing without the ball. He has the talent to do that. Still, he is far away from his best.”

So, why has the 22-year-old only been given 17 minutes of top flight action so far this season?

Keeping him fresh for later in the season

One possible explanation could be that Guardiola is saving the pacey German for when the fixture list becomes congested.

Sane was given 14 minutes against Huddersfield Town and he showed why he is such an attacking weapon when he outpaced a defender to assist City’s sixth goal of the afternoon.

Guardiola knows that City will be challenging in four competitions this season, and it could be that the manager wants to keep Sane fresh and ready for a tough schedule.

Former Manchester United manager Sir Alex Ferguson was well-known for deploying a similar tactic with Park Ji-sung and it worked wonders for the Red Devils during long European away fixtures.

Sane also endured a slow start last season and only managed to score two goals in the first five league matches. His best form came deeper into the season and that could be his time to shine once again this year.

Leroy Sane produced his best in the second half of last season

The return of Benjamin Mendy

French left-back Mendy almost missed the entire season last year with a knee injury, meaning that Sane’s attacking drive on the left flank was much needed.

Mendy has returned this campaign though, and that has led Guardiola to incorporate the full-back higher up the pitch, almost as a left winger.

The former Monaco defender has been one of City’s biggest attacking threats this season and has already registered three assists in just two matches.

With Mendy playing so far up on the left side, there’s not much need for Sane to play at the same time. Given the Frenchman’s fine form, it’s difficult to see Guardiola shift him further back to accommodate Sane.

Benjamin Mendy

Riyad Mahrez providing extra competition

City secured the signature of Mahrez for £60m over the summer to boost their attacking department and with so many options at his disposal, Guardiola knows that he must rotate his team.

Mahrez, who won the PFA Player of The Year award during Leicester City’s title winning season in 2015/16, started City’s first fixture against Arsenal.

Their quest for the quadruple was cut short last season as they suffered multiple injuries, leaving them with a very thin squad, with Guardiola even naming only six substitutes in a Carabao Cup match against Leicester.

Many of the first team players were required to play every three days which was taking its toll on them, but signing Mahrez gives the manager a chance to rotate his front line on a weekly basis.

Sane is still young and undoubtedly, City will be desperate to keep him at the club for the foreseeable future, but just as midfielder Bernardo Silva had to adjust and play as a wing-back in this new formation, the Germn must quickly adapt to the new demands of his manager if he is to break back into the starting line-up.

The City boss said: “From then beginning it was Aro, Aro – that was the only option.

“The transfer window is closed so we cannot buy. With players who have retired – maybe – but when we knew it was possible for Aro to come back the decision was quick.”

Muric is likely to go straight onto the bench as the champions face Wolves on Saturday.

“We know him,” said Guardiola. “Last season he trained with us all season and he knows the way we work. We loaned him because the second team is not a real competition. We wanted to see him play every weekend.”

City are still unsure how long Chile international Bravo will be out for but the 35-year-old has undergone successful surgery in Barcelona.

Guardiola said: “I don’t know – but the surgery was good and we’ll see.”

Bravo himself has tweeted some pictures of his foot in a bandage following his operation.